Internships are a hot topic these days. As the job market becomes more competitive, internships provide employers a way to gauge your viability as a candidate in a low-risk way.
In the opposite manner, internships allow students to build their skill set and to test drive their options. Below you will find some frequently asked questions regarding internships.
What is an internship & why is it so important?
Internships are a great way to test drive career options while boosting your resume (and in some cases, count towards graduation credits). An internship allows you to complement your experiences in the classroom with practical experiences. You gain new skills, put your learning to use, and build future connections. There really is no downside to completing an internship experience.
How many internships should I complete?
As many as you can! Internships can take many shapes and forms ranging from short-term internships which last a few weeks to internships that span over multiple semesters. Having a wide range of experiences is helpful in making sure that you are prepared for the job market. Internships should always help you to increase your skill set, and is encouraged that you take the opportunity to learn as many different things as you can while participating.
When should I begin doing internships?
As soon as you can! While your academic workload should be considered, take the opportunity to begin internships when you can. Many students complete their first internship during the summer after their freshman year. Use your first year on campus to begin building connections to help in securing an internship. Upperclassmen can use existing connections to secure an internship.
How do I do an internship for academic credit?
First, check your eligibility. In a nutshell, you must have at least a 2.0 GPA & 12 UMW credits or be a transfer student with an Associate’s Degree. You should also check with your academic department to find out their specific criteria for completion of an academic credit internship. You will need a faculty member to sponsor (or oversee) the internship, and will need to complete the academic internship contract. The contract outlines the terms of the internships and allows your internship to be graded upon completion.
You can visit https://www.umw.edu/careercenter/students/internships/ for more details regarding the steps to securing an internship for academic credit.
Does it matter if my experience is paid or unpaid?
Paid internships are certainly the ideal situation for many students. However, unpaid internships can provide some of the same advantages for participants. Unpaid internships are often more abundant and may offer more flexibility than a paid internship experience. Additionally, many students are able to do unpaid experiences first, which leads to a competitive advantage when applying for paid internship experiences.
The UMW Career Center, along with several campus constituents offer funding for internships that are unpaid. You can visit our website for more information on funding options and availability.
The most important thing is making sure that the internship is a quality experience. The internship should provide you with the opportunity to grow your professional skill set. An internship should provide you with tangible evidence that you were able to benefit the organization in some way through completion of projects or tasks associated with the overall mission and goals.
Where can I find an internship?
Before searching, you should be able to answer the following questions:
- Why do I want an internship?
- What do I want to learn from an internship?
- When do I want to intern (spring, summer, fall)?
- How can I begin building connections in the industry I want to intern in?
- What sort of company or organization would enable me to learn those things?
- Where do I want the internship to be geographically?
- How much time do I want to spend at the internship?
One of the most popular ways to search for internships is through the use of our database. UMW uses the platform, Handshake to keep track of both jobs and internships that are available to our students. You can also use other general search engines. Faculty can also be useful in helping to locate internship experiences along with on campus recruiting events such as the Job and Internship Fair and Summer Job & Internship Fair.
When should I start searching for an internship?
Internship deadlines and application procedures vary based on industry, location and popularity of the internship. Some internships begin searching as much as nine months prior to the internship start date. For example, summer internships in finance, government and publishing have deadlines that begin as early as November. Do your research to find out standards in your field of interest and create a timeline to stay on target with deadlines
How can the Career Center help me?
The Center for Career and Professional Development can help you in whatever stage you may be in with the internship process. Whether it’s searching for an internship, evaluating internship offers, advice during the internship, or how to articulate your internship experience, the career center has got you covered. Specifically, we can provide assistance with:
- resume, cover letter or additional document preparation
- internship search timelines
- internship search tools
- academic credit questions
- internship offer evaluation
- internship advice during internship
- adding internship experience to resumes
Our team can provide one-on-one assistance to make the internship experience a breeze. Visit our website at https://www.umw.edu/careercenter/ to schedule an appointment.
Bianca Hightower, Assistant Director, Center for Career and Professional Development & James Farmer Scholars Program Director